Whipsers - a Fire Emblem Awakening Fanfic
by Polarissruler
Summary: In those horrible moments between lying in bed and falling asleep, the whispers come. „Weakling!" repeat they in his ear and jolt him up. „You let your sister die! How can you sleep when her killer is alive?" The whispers don't stop, never stop. Only Falchion, breaking training dummies apart, is loud enough to silence them. Even then, as soon as the echo dies, they come back – bloo


**AN: I don't own the Fire Emblem Series.**

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Chrom yawns. It is so late that even Muriel, who would work until she dropped dead, has fallen asleep. Chrom should also be sleeping – hell, if Frederick or Robin sees him, he will get the lectures of his lifetime. And how can he blame them – they want the best for him.

But in those horrible moments between lying in bed and falling asleep, the whispers come. „Weakling!" repeat they in his ear and jolt him up. „You let your sister die! How can you sleep when her killer is alive?"

The whispers don't stop, never stop. Only Falchion, breaking training dummies apart, is loud enough to silence them. Even then, as soon as the echo dies, they come back – bloodthirsty and maddening. Chrom rubs his eyes and tries to focus on the wooden dummy. He could sleep once Gangrel is dead.

Chrom stabs the target dummy through the heart – only in his eyes, it is the Mad King, with that cruel smile and the wicked gleam on the face. Splinters fly in the air. It is not enough- it is never enough!

He stops for a moment – just enough to catch his breath. Naga, when has he got so weak? He has to fight against a whole army, but cannot win over a bit of fatigue? He sits on the ground, hoping to rest only for a moment.

A moment is too long. His eyes fell on the dummy, grinning at him with that ash-gray smile. No! Falchion once stabs again, breaking the head in pieces. „Die! Die! Die!" shouts Chrom as he destroys the wooden corpse.

A cloud passes over the moon, leaving the stars as the only light. Chrom has not lit a torch – he should not wake anyone else up. Looking at the Sky, Chrom wonders for a brief moment: could the dead go up there? Before he brushed those ideas as mere tall tales for fools. Now, he feels ready for anything to see her again. Even the stars seem closer than wherever the dead go. For a second, Chrom imagines Emm once again, with her warm, caring smile…

Gangrel laughs horrifically. How dare he taint even the image of Emm? Chrom breaks apart another training dummy, so hard that a piece flies away and falls in the camp.

Hopefully, nobody has woken up… That hope breaks faster than the dummy as Chrom hears light steps.

„I swear, Vaike, if you are training to surprise my brother again…" Lissa walks out, holding her axe tightly in her hand. She yawns loudly – still half-asleep and drags the weapon behind her.

„Chrom?" Lissa blinks confused, „Why are you still up? It is so late."

„I was just going to sleep," answers Chrom. Lissa looks at all broken dummies. She doesn't believe him at all.

„Can we go together, then?"

Chrom hesitates. He wishes he could go to sleep, but whenever he closes his eyes, he hears the maniacal laughter in his head and Gangrel's looming figure warps from Plegia in front of him. No, Chrom cannot sleep yet! He needs to be stronger.

Lissa looks at him. She knows he has lied and now just waits for him to admit it.

„Very well," sighs Chrom, „I can't go to sleep yet. I have to be stronger! Imagine if the same thing happened to you, or Robin, or to Frederick, or Ricken, or…

Lissa takes Chrom's hand. „And what if it happens to you? If an enemy kills you while you are nodding in battle because you are too tired from not sleeping?"

„It won't happen," says Chrom, but a yawn betrays his sleepiness. „I'll find time to sleep later."

„When did you get a habit to lie?" asks Lissa and looks at him – not disappointed, but worried; just like Emm used to look at him… Suddenly, Gangrel appears next to Lissa, holding a sword at her neck.

„How?" shouts Chrom and swings. Falchion hits the air. „Where did you go, coward?' He is loud enough to wake up the entire camp.

„Chrom," Lissa tugs his sleeve. He turns to her; she glances at him – almost shaking out of fear. He cannot blame her – the Mad King appeared out of nowhere ready to kill her…

„How long have you not slept?"

Chrom tries to answer, but his mind is drawing a blank. Counting on his fingers he tries to remember: two days since Emm's… Since her… Since the attack on Plegia. Why is he even asked that? Lissa looks at his pathetic attempts and frowns.

„Chrom," she says and Chrom has never seen her so serious before, „do you know what can happen if you don't sleep? Do you know how dangerous it is?"

He remembers that lecture – one of Frederick the Wary's favorites, but only fragments pass through the sleepy brain. „Something about dying…" he trails off and realizes how it makes him seem. "But it couldn't be that bad – this is Fredrick, after all! He worries too much sometimes. I don't feel that bad."

Lissa snorts. Like a wild beast, consumed by primal rage, she clutches her axe handle so tightly that it cracks. „Chrom, I am a healer. It is that dangerous! You are already seeing things that aren't there! You need to get sleep. Now!"

Impossible. Chrom cannot die – but even death seems not to be that much of a threat. He is ready to die – all in the name of punishing Gargnel. As long as that monster is killed, it matters not how many have to die! Even if the whole world will be drenched in blood, as long as Gargnel's is in the mixture, it would be worth it!

„Chrom!"

He snaps from his thoughts and turns to Lissa. „See!" says she and tugs him by the sleeve. „You didn't even listen to me! You are going sleeping. We can do it the easy way, or I can go and wake Frederick."

„Don't!" screams Chrom. Not Frederick! In that sleepy daze, he does not even catch Lissa's joke. „I can't go to sleep yet. I have to kill Gangrel. Even if it kills me first, I…"

„Do you even listen to yourself? Kill, kill, kill – you sound just like Gargnel!" Lissa shouts.

„Am not" Chrom should say, but doesn't. Even worse: „If I have to become him, then so be it."

A tear falls in his hand thawing his frozen heart.

„You... I need you! Emm is dead and I have only you left! What am I supposed to do if you die in the name of your stupid vengeance! Emm wouldn't have wanted this! I don't want this! I want my brother back!"

It hits Chrom harder than an armored punch. ‚If I have to become him, then so be it.' Naga, how stupid did that sound? Chrom closes his eyes, looking at the darkness once again. The shade whispers appear just as fast, ready to drown his sanity in vengeance and blood.

Not this time.

„If you would not live for yourself," Lissa's cries bring him back to her, back to himself, „then live for me! I know it is a spoiled princess' selfish wish, but…"

Chrom hugs Lissa tight. „Don't worry," yawns he, „I will not leave you. I promise."

The whispers have stopped. Chrom closes his eyes – wearily, still afraid. Nothing – Lissa's presence has banished them all. He once again feels like sleeping.

Chrom walks slowly to his bed and falls in it. „Good night," says Lissa and sits in a nearby chair. „Don't worry," she answers when she sees his worry, „I can spare one sleepless night. I shall be watching to ale sure Gangrel doesn't come to kill you."

Chrom wishes to laugh, but in the next moment, he has fallen asleep.

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**This is an idea I wanted to put in a longer work I am currently writing but had no idea how to fit it in there. So, it became something on its own. I am a bit disstafisied with the ending. What do you think? Please, tell me!**


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